The Singapore Swimming Association (SSA) announced on Friday that Sonya Michelle Porter has been hired as its new High Performance Manager. In her role, Porter will support Head Coach Sergio Lopez, overseeing the pathway development and implementation of an effective structure for athletes and coaches, according to the SSA release.
The High Performance position will also focus on the holistic advancement of swimming in Singapore. Porter will also be engaging various stakeholders in Singapore Swimming, including the Ministry for Culture, Community and Youth, Sport SG, Singapore National Olympic Council, Singapore Sports Institute in an effort to bring greater support for the sport.
The former Alabama Assistant Coach is coming off her latest stint as an Arizona State University staffer under then-Head Coach Dorsey Tierney-Walker, where Porter joined the Sun Devils in 2012 in the role of Director of Operations. Porter also has experience coaching at Colorado State, Northwestern, West Virginia and Louisville and brings a total of more than 20 years of experience to Swimming Singapore.
Within that NCAA experience, Porter accumulated a resume of foreign coaching accomplishments as well, including having mentored Austrian swimmer Hunor Mate, German Anne Poleska and Grecian swimmer Kristel Vourna. Originally from Australia, Porter earned her B.A. in physiology and human performance from the University Alabama in 1996.
“With Sonya’s vast experience of working with the USA NCAA system, we strongly believe that she will be a huge asset, assisting us to continue to bring high performance swimming in Singapore to the world’s stage,” said Edwin Ker, Executive Director, SSA.
In less than one year under Lopez’s watch, the former head coach of the elite Bolles program in Florida, USA, the program has already become the dominant force in Southeast Asian swimming. Thanks in part to a 9 gold medal performance from Joseph Schooling, the country more than doubled its own gold medal total from the 2013 championship and had 42 total medals: 26 more than their closest competitors from Vietnam.
